A Ghanaian chef, Ebenezer Smith, a.k.a. Millennium Chef Smith, is in trouble after being caught and held at the La Police Station following his being caught for falsifying a Guinness World Record for marathon cooking.

This occurred when Chef Smith declared, along with a certificate serving as proof, that he was the new cook-a-thon record holder during a press conference on Tuesday, July 2, 2024, at the La Palm Hotel.

He stated that from February 1 to March 6, 2024, he completed 802 hours and 25 minutes, setting a new record.

“I am deeply humbled and honoured to announce that I am now the new world record holder for the cook-a-thon,” he said.

The text on his certificate reads: “The longest cooking marathon (individual) is 802 hours 25 minutes and was achieved by Ebenezer Smith (Ghanaian) in Spintex, Accra, Ghana. From 1 February to 6 March, 2024.”

A high-profile celebration including performers like Praye Tietia, Yaw Tog, Amerado, Kofi Jamar, and the Asakaa Boys marked the end of his cooking marathon.

In an interview with the BBC, Alina Polianskaya, the PR executive for Guinness World Records, refuted Smith’s statements, saying, “No, this is not true at all.” That is not our certificate, and he does not own the GWR title.

“The current and true record for the longest cooking marathon (individual) is 119hr 57 min 16 sec and was achieved by Alan Fisher (Ireland) in Matsue, Shimane, Japan, from 28 September to 3 October 2023,” he added.

He was arrested by the authorities not long after declaring his fake accomplishment and showing his diploma.

With 119 hours and 57 minutes, Irish chef Alan Fisher presently holds the record for the longest continuous cooking session. His accomplishment exceeded that of Chef Hilda Baci of Nigeria who in May 2023 cooked for 100 hours non-stop, breaking India’s Lata Tondon’s 87 hours 45 minutes record of uninterrupted cooking in the process.

Two Moroccan rappers known by their stage names “Amine Grave” and “Youss 45”, who were sentenced to two years imprisonment each with a fine of MAD 500 (approximately $50), have had their sentences reduced by the Indictable Misdemeanors Chamber of the Fez Court of Appeal.

The two entertainers were on April 29 found guilty and sentenced by the Indictable Misdemeanors Chamber of the Court of First Instance in Fez following the release of a controversial song titled “Sher Zidi Kobi Atay” which prosecutors say incited minors to engage in prostitution.

Following an appeal by their lawyers on Wednesday, the sentence was reduced from two years to four months, though the court insisted that the song should be removed from YouTube.

The Public Prosecution had charged the two with “inciting minors under 18 to prostitution or debauchery, inciting the commission of a felony or misdemeanor by means of an electronic medium that fulfills the condition of publicity, and participating in such acts”.

The arrest of the rappers had followed complaints filed by a number of civil society activists to the Public Prosecution, demanding the removal of the song from YouTube and social media platforms due to its lyrics that were seen as contributing to “the spread of corruption and prostitution and constituting a violation of moral values”.

At the time, the controversial song had gone viral on YouTube and other social media platforms, making international headlines and prompting human rights activists to call for its removal, accusing the rappers of glorifying the rape of minors.

Many netizens in the North African country described the court’s initial ruling in April as a firm response to the group’s explicit incitement of underage girls to debauchery, however, the new decision by the Fez Court of Appeal to reduce the rappers’ sentences comes after a reconsideration of the charges against them.